A sign advertising the Run for the Sun Eclipse Festival 5K near downtown Franklin on Tuesday morning. The event will be held on April 6 in conjunction with Franklin’s eclipse festivities, and will raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County.
RYAN TRARES | DAILY JOURNAL
An event that hasn’t happened in central Indiana since 1869 requires a special education.
And if local organizers can use the energy around the upcoming total solar eclipse to better the community, all the better.
Local residents are invited to tap into the celestial power surrounding the April 8 eclipse while raising money for Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County. Run for the Sun Eclipse Festival 5K, a project of this year’s class of Leadership Johnson County, will start at DriveHubler.com Amphitheater at Youngs Creek Park in Franklin on April 6.
Money generated from the eclipse-themed race will go towards helping area families move into their first home.
“When we recognized the eclipse was happening in April, and thought it would be a perfect time for a race. We were just thrilled to have the opportunity to bring people of all ages and all abilities together to get out, be active and really kick-off the weekend,” said Bryana Schreiber, one of the race organizers. “
The Run for the Sun 5K adds a new twist to the weekend-long eclipse festival taking over downtown Franklin from April 6 to 8. Planned activities include a beer and wine garden, an eclipse market, and food trucks each day; a concert featuring My Yellow Rickshaw on Saturday evening, and hot air balloons from on Sunday.
The idea to put together an eclipse-themed 5K stemmed from a group of students in Leadership Johnson County’s Signature Program. Participants in the program meet once a month to focus on different aspects of leadership.
The centerpiece of the program, though, is the group project. In the first month, participants break off into small groups, with each team required to envision and enact a project that would benefit the community.
“Our team started out by getting an understanding of what would be taking place in our community in the springtime when our projects needed to take place,” Schreiber said. “We made a connection with (Franklin) Parks & Recreation, and Festival County Indiana, and learned they had hoped to do a 5K, but had a lot of other things planned for festival weekend.”
In their discussions, the Leadership Johnson County group decided they could organize a race during the festival and use it to raise money for a local group.
Habitat for Humanity stood out as a potential benefactor of the fundraiser.
“One of the things our team shared is that we all love to be active. We chose a race because it was fitness-related, something we felt brings people together to rally around a cause,” Schreiber said. “One of our group members works for Habitat, so we felt like it would be a natural partnership with her organization and her able to be a conduit between the two.”
Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County is part of a national nonprofit partnering with area families to provide them with an affordable home. The organization spends about two months building the houses. The new owners receive a 20-year, interest-free mortgage for the house.
New owners are also asked to put down $700 to help cover closing costs. The homeowner is responsible for monthly mortgage payments once the home is finished.
Families also take financial classes and pay “sweat equity” — 300 hours of volunteer labor on their home and other Habitat and community projects. Builds bring together volunteers from local businesses, churches, civic organizations and schools to help physically construct the house.
Once the Run for the Sun team decided on what to focus their project on and who to benefit, they started working on the details and logistics of the race. Team members have spent the past few months working with Franklin city officials and Festival Country to work out
“It’s been awesome to see the team come together, bring different ideas to the table and figure out who we were connected to that we could reach out to for assistance,” Schreiber said.
Run for the Sun will start at 10 a.m. April 6, with packet pick-up from 8:30 to 9:30. Registration is $35 for adults and $20 for kids ages 6 to 12. Kids 5 and under are free.
IF YOU GO
Run for the Sun Eclipse Festival 5K
What: A fundraising race organized by Leadership Johnson County students to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County
When: 10 a.m. April 6; packet pickup between 8:30 and 9:30.
Where: DriveHubler.com Amphitheater at Youngs Creek Park, 237 W. Monroe Street, Franklin
Who: People of all ages and abilities are welcome to participate, and dogs on leashes and strollers are also welcome.
Information and registration: runsignup.com/Race/IN/Franklin/EclipseFestival5K.
